All articles tagged with #cars
Ruf has moved beyond tuning Porsches, building its own B8 flat-eight and testing it in a lengthened CTR3 mule named "Erprober" at the Goodwood Festival of Speed; the engine reportedly makes over 1,000 hp and 1,000 Nm, with full specs still pending, signaling Ruf's shift toward in-house powertrains and carbon monocoque chassis in upcoming models.
A Bain & Company analysis (cited by CNBC) predicts the U.S. car market will shrink significantly through 2040 as population growth stalls, fertility declines, and transportation behavior shifts toward ride-hailing and SUVs. High new-car prices and rising monthly payments, along with aging buyers and a shrinking share of younger buyers, are expected to drive consolidation among automakers and a reduction in small cars; AutoForecast Solutions also forecasts flat sales for several years, highlighting profitability pressures in the sector.
After a months-long rebuild, Mat Armstrong takes his Continental GT to Bentley for a definitive service; technicians uncover more than 100 faults, with the standout issue being a cracked engine mount that could affect alignment and safety, prompting further costly repairs even as Armstrong continues with plans for a Monaco road trip.
Japan's May exports rose 17% year-on-year—the fastest since November 2022—driven by a 61.2% surge in semiconductor shipments and a 16.4% jump in car exports, with volumes barely higher, indicating price and weak-yen effects. Imports rose 12.5% YoY, while energy imports fell, and the data comes as the Bank of Japan raised rates to 1% amid inflation and a softer global outlook.
U.S. new-car sales are expected to top out around 16 million this year—down from 17 million in 2020 and not likely to return to that level until 2030—while the number of new-car buyers has fallen by more than a million since 2020. Automakers are chasing profits with pricier vehicles, no fewer sedans left in production, and inflation pushing prices toward or beyond $50,000, making a first new car increasingly out of reach for many. Meanwhile, consumer sentiment is at a record low and spending leans toward the wealthy, signaling a broader shift in the economy beyond just car buying.
iRacing’s May 2026 Season 3 preview outlines a broad slate of content and platform updates arriving in early June: free BMW M2 Racing and Euro NASCAR RC01, two new Formula Vee variants, and BMW M Hybrid V8 Evo upgrade; Dallara IR18 updates, a refreshed Porsche 992.2, and updated SK/Tour Modified physics, plus major track work including Laguna Seca’s surface rescan and the new Qualcomm Circuit at Naval Base Coronado. The Sim UI gains live track maps, a fuel calculator, drag-resizable UI, incident tracker, and per-session data options; pit-road speed enforcement is reworked with a PID controller; multi-class starts with per-class pace cars is in testing; Anycast routing promises lower latency; long-term bets include Career Mode, a Spark graphics engine, physics modernization with multi-threading, series-specific sporting regulations, and expanded audio tech; release is planned for early June with ongoing updates to follow.
Mercedes-Benz unveils the AMG GT 4‑Door EV, a high‑performance sedan built on an 800‑volt platform with three axial‑flux motors delivering up to 1,153 hp and 1,475 lb‑ft, a Formula 1–inspired cooling system, and 600 kW ultra‑fast charging (10–80% in 11 minutes); it features MB.OS with the AMG Race Engineer Core, over 1,600 engine‑like sounds for the silent motor, and a claimed 0–60 time of about 2 seconds, with GT 55 arriving late 2026 and GT 63 in 2027.
Modern connected cars act as rolling data centers, collecting location histories, who’s in the car, what you listen to, and even biometrics like weight or facial expressions, often with little protection for consumers. Insurance companies and data brokers buy and sell this information, potentially raising rates or enabling targeted marketing. A Mozilla review found major car brands failing basic privacy standards, and GM faced FTC action over selling location data. With new U.S. rules pushing advanced impaired‑driving tech that could widen data collection—and uneven protections in the U.S. and Europe—consumers are advised to opt out of telematics, request and delete collected data, and adjust privacy settings, though comprehensive data ownership and consent safeguards are far from guaranteed.
Despite a history of being considered fragile due to inherent V10 imbalance, Six models—the Dodge Viper, Ram SRT-10, Lamborghini Gallardo, Audi R8 V10, Lexus LFA, and Lamborghini Huracán—show that these engines can be highly reliable when well maintained. The article cites sources like Top Gear, Edmunds, CarFax and MOT data to illustrate strong reliability across generations, while noting a few model-specific issues (e.g., early BMW M5).
Google will upgrade vehicles with Google built-in to Gemini AI, a more conversational assistant that can handle car data (EV battery levels, journey updates), summarize messages, and fetch driver-relevant info. The rollout starts in the US with English support and will expand to additional regions and languages; GM has already announced Gemini for about 4 million 2022+ GM vehicles, but the update isn’t limited to GM. Eligible users signed into their Google Account in their car will see the upgrade option as it rolls out.
A Associated Press report notes that the average cost of a new car is approaching $50,000 due to post-pandemic demand, ongoing supply disruptions, tariffs, and rising insurance and repair costs. The affordability squeeze is prompting many buyers to consider used cars or delay purchases, while automakers point to cheaper models and options like EVs; tighter used-car supply and longer ownership periods are further complicating the market.
Google unveiled a new open version of Android Automotive that expands beyond the car’s infotainment system to control non-safety internal components, aiming to reduce fragmentation by becoming the standard software layer for software-defined vehicles. The update promises a more cohesive in-car experience, faster over-the-air updates, smarter voice assistants, and proactive maintenance alerts, with automakers gaining a common foundational codebase for features like climate control, cabin management, digital keys, and personalized driver profiles. Renault Group and Qualcomm are already involved, and Google faces competition from Apple’s CarPlay Ultra.
A 1979 Ferrari 308 GTS that starred in Tom Selleck’s Magnum P.I. is heading to Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach auction in April, offered with no reserve. The unrestored, patinaed car—carbureted V-8, about 93,000 miles, five-speed manual—was used in the pilot and early seasons (repainted from Fly Yellow to Rosso Corsa) and comes with show provenance, including a cross-country trip for Car and Driver. Prior sale attempts on Bring a Trailer and at a GAA Classic Cars auction topped around $120k but did not sell. Barrett-Jackson emphasizes its iconic status, and a new owner could technically sit in Selleck’s seat while reliving Magnum P.I. nostalgia.
YouTuber Matty Willo buys the cheapest V8 2016 Ford Mustang GT (with only ~34k miles) at a Pickles salvage auction in Australia for AUD 20,000 after fees. Despite front-end damage, the frame was straight, and he replaced OEM parts (radiator support, bumper, grille, etc.) for about AUD 2,500, bringing total investment to ~AUD 26,000. With the 5.0L Coyote V8 and manual transmission, the car is a strong bargain since similar V8 Mustangs in Australia command higher prices, effectively turning a salvage purchase into a valuable flip in just a week.
Automobili Rodrigues, a new Italian coachbuilder, is pursuing the Berlinetta Veloce with a standard 7.0L naturally aspirated V12 delivering 900hp and an optional 9.0L 18-cylinder Triangolare engine that’s turbo- and supercharged for about 1,954 lb-ft of torque; production is planned as a limited, multi‑million‑dollar vehicle (roughly $5–$10 million) with a manual transmission, currently unveiled as a design study awaiting a driving prototype.